News and Comment

The latest news and commentary from the Electoral Reform Society.

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Why electoral reform is a trade union issue

This is an article from Rory Scothorne and Josiah Mortimer ahead of the Unite union’s policy conference starting this weekend. The text is from the ERS’ new trade union leaflet ‘Trade Unions and Electoral Reform‘, and follows an overwhelming vote at last year’s...

Posted 08 Jul 2016

5 things this EU vote has taught us about referendums

Whichever way you feel about the result, most people are glad the EU referendum campaign is over. To put it diplomatically, it wasn’t the highest quality debate in the world. Particularly for those on the...

Posted 05 Jul 2016

How do Conservative Party leadership elections work?

(Updated for October 2022) Historically there weren’t elections for the leader of the Conservative party, but, following the machinations surrounding the appointment of Sir Alec Douglas-Home in 1963, elections among the MPs were brought in,...

Posted 05 Jul 2016

Tories don’t use First Past the Post to elect their leader. It’s one rule for us and one for them

We can do referendums better in the UK. Here’s how.

This article was first published by Times Red Box Last week’s referendum raised some serious questions about the nature of the democracy we have – and the type we want to create. Unlike other countries,...

Posted 30 Jun 2016

A Mayor for the Bucharest of Us

Bucharest, Romania’s largest city and capital, has had a rocky four years since the 2012 local elections. The city is governed by a city-wide mayor and general council, and divided into six pizza-slice shaped sectors...

Posted 07 Jun 2016

The Irish election: How PR can keep the local link

The General Election in Ireland last month was an earthquake in Irish politics. Ireland now has a vastly more diverse political landscape, with the results a reflection of a major decline in party loyalties –...

Posted 29 Mar 2016

The government should let union members choose how they vote

Tomorrow, the Chancellor will present his budget for the year ahead. But it’s not the only important thing happening: though it won’t be dominating the headlines, the government’s controversial Trade Union Bill will reach one...

Posted 15 Mar 2016

Lessons from referendums

While we’re nowhere near Switzerland or California in constantly using referendums, the UK is becoming accustomed to big constitutional votes. In 2011, the ballot on switching to the Alternative Vote was only the second UK-wide...

Posted 01 Mar 2016